Priest’s Molestation Conviction Overturned
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A state court of appeals overturned the conviction of a Los Angeles priest accused of molesting boys, ruling Thursday that the prosecutor’s comments had prejudiced the jury.
Fernando Lopez, a Colombian national and associate pastor, had been convicted of molesting three boys at Koreatown’s St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church between 2001 and 2004.
But the appeals court said the prosecutor’s comments during the trial, including an allusion to the Catholic Church’s broader molestation scandal, was implying “guilt by association” and constituted misconduct.
The state has several weeks to challenge the ruling, a spokesman for the attorney general said.
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